GREEN BAY - Former Alderman Guy Zima is suing Mayor Jim Schmitt and the City of Green Bay, alleging Schmitt and other city employees have made false, malicious statements about him.

The civil suit, filed Monday in Brown County Circuit Court, points to emails and public comments made by Schmitt that Zima contends harmed his reputation. As one example, the suit cites a 2017 television interview in which Schmitt described Zima as Green Bay's Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer accused of serial sexual misconduct.

The lawsuit also names City Attorney Vanessa Chavez and Wauwatosa-based Cities and Villages Mutual Insurance Company, which defends the city against claims.

The lawsuit was filed after the Ethics Board and City Council in the past month opted to dismiss a complaint against Zima filed in January by Alderwoman Barbara Dorff. The complaint accused Zima of violating the city's code of conduct for elected officials by mistreating city workers, officials and members of the public.

Dorff's complaint came one month after the Press-Gazette revealed that Zima had asked a female city employee if she made a sex tape with her husband on their wedding night. Zima denies saying it.

Zima pushed back against Dorff's request to dismiss her complaint, contending it prevented him from clearing his name.

City investigates Zima

Emails filed with the complaint point to earlier efforts to prosecute Zima's behavior. In an August 2017 email from Schmitt, apparently directed to Police Chief Andrew Smith, Schmitt references a probe of Zima's treatment of employees and requested security personnel for an upcoming council meeting should be prepared to remove Zima.

"I will first give him a couple 'out of order warnings' but once I say I want him removed I expect (you) to follow my order," Schmitt wrote.

Schmitt emphasized the need to complete the Zima investigation in a September 2017 email to city officials, saying there was "no doubt" he violated the employee code of conduct. The following month, he told Chavez he wasn't pleased with Human Resources Director Joseph Faulds' response to the complaints against Zima.

According to the email, Faulds told Schmitt the people allegedly harassed by Zima would need to testify before the Ethics Board. The employees filed a written complaint that had been "sitting on someone's desk for almost a month," Schmitt said.

"Do we not believe our employees?" Schmitt wrote. "Are we going to ignore (their) complaint until they 'testify'? Or make it so intimidating that the weak will be afraid to challenge the bullies?"